Some coastal cities are sinking faster than the ocean is rising

Coastal communities are facing a hidden threat that is making rising seas far more dangerous: the land beneath them is sinking. New research shows that people in densely populated coastal regions experience an average relative sea-level rise of about 6 millimeters per year, nearly three times the global coastal average. Groundwater pumping, oil and gas extraction, heavy urban development, sediment compaction, and natural geological processes are all contributing to the problem.

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Mathematicians prove perfectly fair elections are impossible

Mathematicians have shown that no electoral system can perfectly balance local representation, proportional national results, and a fixed-size parliament once enough parties compete. A newly proposed voting method could soften these unavoidable trade-offs and produce outcomes that are much closer to fair.

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Alien signals may be hiding where we rarely listen

Astronomers may have been listening for alien civilizations in only a small slice of the radio spectrum while overlooking a largely unexplored range of higher frequencies. Using archived data from the ALMA telescope in Chile, researchers conducted the observatory’s first SETI survey, searching for narrow signals that could indicate advanced technology. No possible alien transmissions were found, but the study revealed that even a handful of telescope observations may quietly include millions of stars.

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Hidden charcoal reveals the true age of ancient cave paintings

A new analysis has precisely dated paintings in France’s Font-de-Gaume cave for the first time. Scientists discovered charcoal inside black pigments once thought to contain only minerals, allowing them to use radiocarbon dating. The results show that a bison was painted about 13,000 years ago, while sections of a mask-like figure were added during several widely separated periods.

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500,000-year-old elephant bone hammer shows ancient humans were master toolmakers

Early humans in England crafted a rare piece of elephant bone into a reusable hammer for sharpening stone tools nearly 500,000 years ago. The extraordinary find reveals that ancient toolmakers were resourceful, skilled, and capable of surprisingly advanced planning.

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Inside the Backrooms: The internet’s creepiest place is becoming a tourist attraction

The Backrooms began as a single eerie image of empty yellow rooms, but internet users transformed it into a vast fictional world that feels disturbingly real. Through videos, games, maps, survival guides and social media stories, audiences do more than watch the horror unfold. They help build and explore it. Researchers suggest this popularity reflects a new kind of digital tourism, where people emotionally enter imaginary places filled with mystery, nostalgia and unease.

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Scientists put the “recycling is a distraction” claim to the test

Recycling, greener diets, and other personal climate choices do not seem to distract people from supporting major environmental reforms. A four-year study of nearly 2,800 Australians found that these habits neither increased nor reduced later political engagement.

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